Vacuum-cleaner.



W. R. FOWLER. VACUUM GLEANER.

APPLICATION FILED 001'. 26, 1911.

Patented May 21,1912

. l M Q s m n "Y M f I a N m A 1 nunaumu after/nevi w nner: It rownn'a, or BALTIMORE, MARYLANIlJ.

VACUUM-CLEANE R.

.To all whom it may concern:

- Be it known that I, WILLIeM' R. FOWLER,

a citizen of the United States, residing at Baltimore, in the State of Maryland, have invented certain new and useful. Improve ments in Vacuum-Cleaners, of which the "following is aspecific-ation;

This invention relates to an improved fyaouum dust remover for use on floors and L'Oneebwct ofthe invention to provide agyac iumpperating apparatus-that may be operated entirely byhand.

Theinvention is illustrated in the ac ,co tnpanying drawing, in 'which,-

'Fi re 1 is aside view of the apparatus showing all parts in position for operation, and-" alsd showing that at such time the handle rod has a raised inclined position. Fig. .2 is a vertical longitudinal section, showing the inner cylinder partly drawn out, this figure is on alarger scale. Fig. 3 is a cross section of the inner reciprocable cylinder on the lnie 3-3 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 v

is a front, end 'or nozzle-end view of the inner cylinder. Fig. 5 1s aperspectwefrontend view of part of the inner cylinder and nozzle, showing the nozzle-pipe broken, and

the swinginghook that engages the nozzlecylinder.-

npe. p v

--'The main parts of the apparatus comprise an exterior cylinder, A, which has a horizontal position; an interior cylinder, B, that fits telescopically within the said exterior cylinder and'is movable therein like "a piston a tubular-shaped d'us t'receptacle,

C, made of textile or similar fabric and carried'within the said interior cylinder, B

'ai foot-piece, D, flexibly attached to. the exterior cylinder at it's rear end and "a suitable handle-rod, E. attached to the outermost of the ,reciprocable interior or. front end v .l I The outer cylinderfll has an opening, f,

in its, rear end, and a suitable. valve, g,

closes said opening when 'thepiston-c311 inder' B, moves outward. A su table screen,

on the rear end of the outer cylinder, A,

covers thevalve-opening and protects the zrlve; The toot-piece, I rests-on the floor and permits 'theopera'tor to. place histoot there1n,' as indicated in Fig. 1, and by bear ing'his weight on the said foot piece he may hold the rear end of the outercylinder, A,

from movement while the inner cyhndenli,

Specification a Letters Patent.

' saidnotched plate, 7.

- cylinder.-

Patented May 21, 1912.

Application filed October 26, 1911.' Serial No. 656,920..

is being reciprocated, The toot-piece has two joints, 7e, Z, that attach it to the outer cylinder and these'joints provide for either a sidewise movement, or an up and down movement. The rear end ofthe inner cylinder, B, 1s also provided with a port, 1",

that is opened by a valve, j, when thls cylinder moves outward but said port is closed by the 'valve when the cylinder, B, moves back into the outer cylinder, A. The movements, back and forward, of the inner cyl- "inder, 13,. are effected by the manual operation of a person who has grasped the rod handle, E, and either pulls or pushes thereon. 1

The rod-handle'has an end attached to the front end of the inner cylinder, B, by

means of a oint, m this permits the handle, E, to be raised on an inclined position. as

seen in Fig. 1 orallows it to be lowered to a horizontal position, and rest on handlesupport device,.n, asindicated in Fig. Lin broken lines.

The reciprocable cylinder, B, is provided with an outside-guide-rod, 0, that extends longitudinally with respect to said cylinder and is'attached to the front end thercot'by a bolt or pin, p, so that said-guide rod may extend along outside'of the main cylinder,

A, which latter-is .provided with two bear ings, 1, through which said rod mayslide whenever any movementtakes place of the inner cylinder, B. The inner cylinder in the present instance,'is also provided on the exterior of it bottom with another rod, 9",

which extends longitudinally and has bear- I ing in a notch formed in a shortpl'ate,'i",

fixed at the open and front end of the outer cylinder,see- Figs. .2 and 5. When the iiiner cylinder makes any movement, either, ,inward c1 outward the rod, 7, slides on the The outercylinderat or near its front open'end has a suitable foot, 8, to rest on,' the floor and supportthis A suitble; packing ring, to, is aroundthe' inner f cylinder, 13, and fits in. contactwith the innr surface otlthe outer cyiinder, A, and serves as an ,ordinary piston packing when the inner cylin'der-reciproeates- The front end of the inner cylinder -'is closed bye head, '0, andfla cross barf'y has "its' ends engaging two catches,'v securedgirr ar thereby holds thehead, 11,-i'n position.- .Any' 110 the-side or said cylinder, and this cross additional fastening maybe used confine,

the head in its place. The inner cylinder also has casters or rollers, 25, at'its front end to support said end; the rollers travel on the The nozzle,- w, of suitable .shape, i s'car ried at the front end ofthe reciprocable cylinder,B ;;it is open at its bottom, and like all nozzles of vacuum cleaners this nozzle must be in "contact with =thesurface of the carpet. or floorwhen the nozzle is moving. The nozzlehas a 'pe,w that opens through the head, i), of the inner cylinder and discharges into the dust receptacle, C; itwill -.be seen that when the inner cylinder, B,-

moves outward or extends and thereby the vacuum is produced, the suction will cause the. dust on the carpet to enter the nozzle,

w and such dust will then pass through the pipe,- w, into the duct receptacle C. In order to brace the nozzle, and hold it firmly to its position at the rear end of the reciprocable cylinder, a bracket plate, 012, is rigidly secured to the said head, 4); this bracket car- 'r iesa swinging hook, 3 which is half-circularand has. one end pivoted or jointed by a pin, to =said bracket plate, 00,; the free end of the hook, y, has a hole that engages a; pin, .2, on the bracket plate. This swinging hook takes about the nozzle-pipe, w and the latter isclamped between the-edge of the bracket, 1w, and'the hook, 3 and firmly held. l

'. In the description thus far given the operat-ion hasbeen partly set forth. To further eXplain,it may be stated that at begin ning therdust-bag, C, is in a collapsed contition; .A person places his right foot in the foot-piece, D, and bears his weight on same; this serves to hold-the outer cylinder A, stationary. Then with both hands the person grasps the handle, E, and shoves .it

forward in a direction away from the footpiece. This shovig'ig forward of handle, E,

while the foot-piece, D,'holds the outer cylinder, A,'stationa'ry and keeps it from moving, causes the interior cylinder, B, to be extended or projected by a telescopic mov'e-' ment. This actionproduces a vacuum in the outer cyllnder, A, and thereby duston the floor or carpet is sucked into the nozzle, w,-

-and drawn into the fabric dust-receptacle or bag, C; during the projected movement 'of cylinder, B, the valve, j, opens and the valve, g, remains closed. Now the operator pulls o11handle, E, and this causes the interior cylinder, B, to be drawn back into the cylinder, A; valves then change position valve j, closes and valve, g, opens, the dusty air is discharges at the valve-,"g, int

'I claim andd'esire to' secure filtered bag, .C, and thec' Having thus described my in-v nti'on ent is, I

1. In a vacuum cleaner the combination of an outer cylinder in a horizontal position having one end closed and provided with a valve; a foot-piece to'rest on the floor and flexibly attached at the closed end of said outer cylinder; an interior cylinder fitting like a piston within the 'outericylinder and reciprocable therein; a flexible bag-shaped dust collector in said interior cylinder; an.

inlet-nozzleicarried at theioutermost end of said I interior cylinder and adapted to contact with the surface of the floor as said cylinder reciprocates; andan actuating rodhandle'attached-to theoutermo'st end of said. 'reciprocable cylinder.

2. In a vacuum cleaner the combination of an outer cylinder working inahorizontal position and having a closed-'end provided with a valve; a foot-piece that rests on the floor and is connected-with the said outer cylinder by two .joints one of which permits a sidewisemoveinent'and the other a vertical movement; a second cylinder fitting like a piston and also movable in said outer cylinder and provided'at its outermost end with rollers that travel on the floor a-dust collector carried in the said movable cylinder; and an inlet nozzle carried at 'the outermost end of said movable cylinder and discharging into .the dust-collector and contacting with the surface of the floor.

3. Ina vacuum cleaner the-combination of two cylinders one fittinglike'apiston within the other and to-be operated in a horizontal position and one reciproc able relative to the other which remains stationary; a foot-piece attached to one of said cylinders and arranged to rest on the floor to enable the operator to hold it from movement by the pressure of his foot; an actuating 'rodhandle attached-to the other cylinderandby means of which the same operator may impart thereto reciprocating movement; a flexible dust-collector attached to one cylinder, and an inlet nozzle to contact with the surface of the fioor'and carried by the reciprocable cylinder and discharging into the 

